Album Review: Undeath – “More Insane” (Death Metal)

Written by Westin

Zombies do not eat brains. This is a particularly virulent strain of myth about horror’s most neighborly monster and can be largely quarantined to one particular franchise. Patient zero for this “fact of undeath” is the 1985 film Return of the Living Dead, based on the eponymous novel by John Russo, co-writer of the original Night of the Living Dead. Russo retained the rights to the name “Living Dead” for any of his own work, separate from George Romero’s, and as a follow-up threw some fairly left field ideas into the mix to further signify what Living Dead meant. These zombies are not vulnerable to headshots, they can talk, and they crave brains to satiate the pain of being dead. Russo messed with the fundamentals and it changed pop culture – zombies want brains. Undeath have returned from the grave, hungering for their own distinction, questioning what an Undeath album can be. The answers they’ve found are similarly a little left field, changing their own fundamentals to something More Insane.

Formed in Rochester, New York in 2018, Undeath is comprised of Matt Browning on drums, Tommy Wall (Tomb Warden) on bass, guitarists Kyle Beam and Jared Welch, and vocalist Alexander Jones. The band released a few demos before their 2020 debut Lesions of a Different Kind garnered a small cult following online, followed up by the explosive popularity of 2022’s It’s Time…To Rise from the Grave, which peaked as Decibel Magazine’s album of the year.

Undeath’s claim to fame, for better or worse, was sounding like modern old school death metal in a way that stood out from a lot of their peers. While the current scene is dominated by Texas-style hardcore influence, Undeath’s New York roots found purchase in something more akin to Cannibal Corpse, and the early output of similarly chilly contemporaries Tomb Mold. The band’s second album in particular leaned more into groovier, faster paced songs with notable hooks à la Cannibal, but still retains their own signature sound.

More Insane is the new old Undeath, at once unwaveringly committed to a particularly intractable identity and yet fully capable of evolution. It is a mutating metamorphosis that finds room to grow and expand with sickening delight, though the final shape is a little uncertain. Admittedly I bounced off this record during my first listen – it did not sound enough like their previous material to be immediately recognizable, nor did it go far out enough to sound like a complete stylistic shift. But the more I listened, the more it grew on me, beckoning me back so I could further grasp what the band was doing. More Insane highlights a more diverse range of influences, more interest in melodic leads, and finding new sounds that the band can add to their repertoire, and yet it all still sounds like Undeath.

The opening track “Dead from Beyond” starts with the marching and drums of an undead army set out for war, settling into a familiar rhythm and tone that pumps and grooves, still reminiscent of that sound that has become their own signature. But suddenly it becomes entirely different as the pace picks up and the first solo rips off out of nowhere, suddenly fluid and articulated, sounding more technical and clean, replete with an accompanying rhythm change. The band have riffs and groove and always centralize those two key sonic elements whatever particular execution they achieve on each track. Undeath are certainly still the same death metal band they’ve always been but they’re one testing their own limits, like an organism picking choice morsels of DNA from surrounding genetic banks of flesh to adapt itself into something recognizable but better – purifying themselves, becoming tighter musicians and better songwriters.

“Brandish the Blade” opens on what sounds eerily like The Black Dahlia Murder with its highly energetic opening blast and viciously catchy guitar and vocal melodies. Between the solos, melodies and riffs Beam and Welch have really raised the level of gnarly and it’s impossible to not want to fucking air guitar to this song. Alexander Jones also deserves attention for his hook delivery, legibility, and madness on both this song and the follow-up “Disputatious Malignancy” where his cries of “In my head! / In my head! / In my head! / In my…” feel like they’re constantly in danger of escalating to the point of leaping off the record to strangle the listener.

The production on More Insane is strong – the guitars sound thick, drums are punchy, and the leadwork is bright and cuts through like a scalpel, while Jones’ vocals are given the weight to still impact through the din. This is arguably their best sounding record yet, where everything has a very full sound with each aspect given the necessary sonic weight and depth to have impact on contact. Browning in particular really takes advantage of the production as his drums feel increasingly vibrant, utilizing space to flourish with fills or just sit on some heavy beats. Unfortunately the bass feels a little buried, which is highlighted more by sections where it’s prominent and I can actually appreciate Wall’s playing, leaving me wanting for more throughout in comparison to older records.

These strong new compositional elements and improved production do leave some room for wanting more – more of the Undeath special; more frantic drumming, more of these engaging leads and hooks, more of the new. Without those things it can leave a track like “Bounty Hunter” feeling pedestrian and forgettable, an unfortunate mid-album misstep alongside “Wailing Cadavers” which comes across as a track that already had a more interesting execution earlier in the record with some of my highlight songs that are either more musically varied or feel like they’re in danger of running off the rails in an exciting way.

More Insane is apt as the title for this record – a recognition of the nature that defines the band through unapologetic appreciation for their influences, achieving change through excavation and purification of what is already present. I do find myself wishing for it to stretch that idea even further, to fully embrace that gnarly album art, to embody a deeper ambition of more. This album feels like a transition point between Undeath now and whatever they are becoming. Although I don’t think More Insane quite reaches the heights it promises, it remains a fun and enjoyable record throughout with some really choice morsels that leave me anticipating whatever they have lurking for the future. Here’s hoping they send more paramedics.

The Bottom Line

Undeath have delivered another strong record, unwavering in their commitment to deliver on their incredibly solid identity within death metal. More Insane finds the band more confident than ever, willing to take some risks that don’t always pay off, but do signal a band willing to push boundaries and experiment.